Hackers Are Offering Apple Employees Big Money for Logins

Hackers want to break into Apple's systems so bad that they're willing to pony up tens of thousands of dollars for employee login details, according to a new report.

Business Insider recently spoke to an unnamed Apple employee in Ireland, who said hackers have offered north of $20,000 for login credentials to Cupertino's internal systems.

"You'd be surprised how many people get on to us, just random Apple employees," the source told Business Insider. "You get emails offering you thousands [of euros] to get a password to get access to Apple.

Meanwhile, another former Apple employee told the publication that hackers typically target newer employees. "They look for someone who has jumped diagonally into a junior managerial position, so not a lifer working their way up, and not a lifer who has been there a long time," the source told Business Insider.

As for what the hackers are really after, it could be any number of things — like access to individual Apple user accounts, the company's extremely valuable intellectual property, or internal corporate strategy information, the report notes. Apple has reportedly set up an employee security program dubbed "Grow Your Own" to address the issue, though details about it are scant.

Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the report.

In other Apple security news, iOS 9 and third-party fixes are reportedly to blame for Error 53, a bug that will brick your iPhone 6 and make the device unusable. Those who upgrade to iOS 9 and have their Touch ID button fixed by someone other than Apple may encounter the vexing Error 53, which makes their device largely useless.

About the Author

Angela has been a PCMag reporter since January 2012. Prior to joining the team, she worked as a reporter for SC Magazine, covering everything related to hackers and computer security. Angela has also written for The Northern Valley Suburbanite in New Jersey, The Dominion Post in West Virginia, and the Uniontown-Herald Standard in Pennsylvania. She is a graduate of West Virginia University's Perely Isaac Reed School of Journalism. See Full Bio